With only 12 weeks to go, ToB organisers will work hard to make event happen

The Tour of Britain's website is just a holding page, there's only one confirmed stage finishing point and there are no big bucks sponsors, but stage a successful Tour in September and the Tour of Britain could be a different kettle of coconuts in 2005. High-profile trustees for the not-for-profit owner of the Tour are being sweet-talked right now...

With BBC's Grandstand paying for the TV production, the organising company running the proposed Tour of Britain has to foot less of a bill.

The Tour of Britain's commercial director is Hugh Roberts of SweetSpot. This events and sports marketing company is moving out of the Acton offices of Carphone Warehouse today. SweetSpot becomes an independent entity with an office in Baker Street, Weybridge.

The rights to the Tour of Britain are owned by the Tour of Britain Ltd. This is a not-for-profit company and will eventually have a high-profile board of trustees, said Michael Heal, the Tour's communications director. They will be "heavy hitters", including politicians.

The trustees will be responsible for apportioning the profits generated by the Tour of Britain, when it goes into profit. Trustees will be appointed when "all systems are go," said Heal.

Start and finish cities for the Tour have yet to be finalised - all except the crit finish in Westminster, that is - but the safe money is on Manchester, Sheffield and Newport.

The experienced Tour organising team is now working on the fine details of the race manual. Full route details will be published on the Tour website. There's a holding page there at the moment, light on detail.

Most of the Tour's officials are working on a freelance basis and it's probable they will be on low initial fees, in the expectation that subsequent, annual runnings of the Tour of Britain will attract bigger funding packages.

Heal said the Tour of Britain organisers would welcome approaches from British bicycle companies and bike shops in the regions the Tour will pass. As well as paid-for promotional opportunities from bicycle suppliers, Heal said there's lots of scope for bike shops to stage their own event tie-ins.

Spectators at stage finishes will be entertained by events such as bicycle courier races and public participation short-course 'races'.